History in One Act

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History in One Act

$24.95

a novel of 9/11 by William M. Arkin

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All print orders of this book come with free digital files:
a PDF is available now, with a .mobi file for Kindle & .epub for other e-readers available soon

History in One Act presents a fresh retelling of 9/11 that completely immerses readers into two worlds: one of al Qaeda, and one of American espionage.

We all know how that tragic day culminated, but the deeper we dive into its origins, we come to understand that 9/11 was neither the beginning nor the end—that everyone has a reason for what they do, that individuals do matter, and that history can be created in one act.

In his debut novel, William M. Arkin answers questions nobody seems to be asking, even 20 years later: Why did it happen? Who were these people? Can we ever hope to thwart terrorism if we don’t understand those who wish us harm?

Arkin’s formidable career, as Army intelligence analyst, as human rights scholar, as military consultant, and finally as journalist, uniquely equips him to bridge disparate worlds.

With this unique book (fully footnoted and based on original documents), Arkin presents an alternate record of true history, forcing the reader to grapple with a new understanding for why this world-changing attack happened, and how our indifference to the human strivings and grievances of the perpetrators made us blind then and makes us still blind even today.)

Download a printable mini book: coming soon

Size: 6"x9" 

Pages: 720

ISBN: 9781943888245 

Publication date: June 8, 2021


Praise for History In One Act

Bill Arkin has broken many conventions during his long career, but reimagining 9/11 from the viewpoint of the terrorists, and then constructing a plausible conspiracy in a novel that confounds even this old ice cream maker, is a real feat. It’s astounding that it took 20 years (and a novel) to finally put us into the mindset of the masterminds and hijackers. As my friend the late Adm. Jack Shanahan said, ‘We’re creating terrorists faster than we can kill them.’ This book is a step in ending that senseless cycle.
— Ben Cohen, activist and co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s
For 40 years, Bill Arkin has known more about the most secret corners of the US government and military than nearly anyone except maybe the CIA director. Now, in his engaging and forceful first novel, he applies all that he’s learned to help tell the story of 9/11, imagining the answers, holes, and connections that history itself will never be able to provide. It’s rare that a book’s footnotes are as rich as the prose itself, but Arkin knows it all.
— Garrett Graff, author of The Only Plane in the Sky
History in One Act—Bill Arkin’s wonderful title for his novel about 9/11—hazards an answer to the question long pleading for an answer—why was the world’s greatest intelligence superpower caught asleep at the wheel? Arkin has two stories to tell. The first is about the attack itself—who did it, how and why? He delivers this story with a scaffolding of footnoted sources that would do Edward Gibbon proud. The second story imagines a reason—a secret operation—that convinces the Bush White House that everything is under control. It’s a novel—don’t ask if it’s true—read it for Arkin’s bleak portrait of the secret world he has studied for thirty years, where need-to-know leaves practically everybody in the dark, and the few who do know are wrong, but don’t really mind, as long as it’s all secret.
— Tom Powers, Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist
Bill’s creative effort to present an alternative history of the story of 9/11 is an incredibly valuable contribution to our understanding of what really happened and why, both from the terrorists’ minds and those who failed in their responsibility to protect our country. His fictionalized account relies on over a decade of research into the attack, including a treasure trove of thousands of pages of interview material with 9/11 mastermind Khaled Sheikh Mohamed, to construct a narrative that gives us a better grip on this slice of history than many non-fiction attempts.
— Sarah Leah Whitson, Executive Director of DAWN (Democracy for the Arab World Now)

Learn More About 9/11

Links to Other Articles

William M. Arkin’s Documents


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About the author

History in One Act
$24.95
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William M. Arkin has been working in the field of national security for over 40 years, as a military intelligence analyst, activist, author, journalist, academic and consultant to government. His award-winning reporting has appeared on the front pages of The Washington Post, The New York Times, and The Los Angeles Times.

Some of his other books include Unmanned: Drones, Data, and the Illusion of Perfect Warfare; Top Secret America: The Rise of the New American Security State; and American Coup: Martial Life and the Invisible Sabotage of the Constitution.

Read William M. Arkin news & reviews


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